​It’s the last day of the calendar year, so many people are thinking about New Year’s Resolutions right now.

This can be a great time to commit to, or renew your commitment to, your health and fitness, and to better other aspects of your life as well. However, most research and estimates suggest that only about 10% of the population actually makes and sticks to their New Year’s Resolutions for the entire year. And 10%, by many accounts, is failing. So, there must be something wrong with the way many of us go about creating New Year’s Resolutions.

Most people, including myself in years past, write out a laundry list of bad habits to get rid of and good habits to start doing – lose weight, exercise more, quit smoking, eat better, pay off debt, volunteer for a good cause, spend more time with family, drink more water, cut out alcohol or sweets or fried foods, sleep more, adopt a hobby, etc. While this may seem noble, and is a starting point, for most it’s just ink on paper and probably a few days, to a few weeks at best, of actual follow-through.

I know it’s a busy time of year and I know the New Year is already upon us, but if you want to actually make some significant change in the upcoming year, you really need to carve out some time to sit down and seriously think these New Year’s Resolutions through if you actually want them to amount to something!

To help you succeed this New Year, follow these SEVEN STEPS!

S T E P | O N E – Reflect and Celebrate

Reflect on what went well over the past year. Celebrate those accomplishments! Seriously! So often we are always trying to figure out how to change or do better, and we rarely take the time to celebrate what’s actually gone well.

Once you’re done celebrating, then ask yourself, “Why did those things go well?” Success breeds success! So, if you can figure out what strategies and habits helped you succeed at different things over the past year, you can then identify and implement them in the upcoming year to help you be successful in other areas of your life.

Think of all the things that you were successful at this past year and write those down on a piece of paper right now. Then write down what strategies and habits helped you succeed at those things. I’ll wait …

S T E P | T W O – Start with One, Small, Specific Action

Often times when we create our New Year’s Resolutions we create this long laundry list of goals, or end points to reach. There are two problems with this approach: 1) We set the destination as our goal, which we really have no control over, and 2) We aim to do too much, which often ends up being overwhelming, and thus leads to us giving up.

So instead, make one, small, specific action your goal.

First, focus on ACTIONS, rather than the destination. For example, instead of “weigh 15 pounds less by the end of 2018,” think “eat 3-5 veggies every day” or “move at a moderate intensity for at least 10-minutes each day.” I’m not saying don’t have a vision of where you want to end up, because you definitely should, but you can’t specifically control that destination, so instead, focus on the things you do have control over, which are the actions you take each and every day to steer you towards that destination.

Secondly, instead of a laundry list, start with one, small, specific action. What’s one thing you can do a little bit better today to propel you towards success over the course of the next year? Just ONE thing! One SMALL thing. One SPECIFIC thing.

Why only ONE thing? Because for each thing we add, our likelihood of success starts to exponentially decrease. As Leo Babauta said in his book, The Power of Less, “Limit yourself to fewer goals, and you’ll achieve more.” So, for now, choose just one thing. Once you’ve hit 80+% consistency with this one action for at least two weeks, then you can start considering adding in something else.

Why something SMALL? Because success breeds success and the smaller the action, the more likely you are to succeed. Your reaction should sound something like this, “Ppfff. That’s too easy!” If that’s not your reaction, keep breaking the action down into smaller and smaller actions, until you’re confident that you can successfully take action 80+% of the time. Ideally, your action should initially be so easy that you can complete it not just on your best days, but on your worst days as well. The more success you have, the more challenging your future action goals can become!

Why SPECIFIC? Because any lack of clarity will turn into an excuse to not take action, especially when life gets crazy! And when is life NOT crazy?!

Understanding WHY your resolution is important to you is imperative to your success. Understanding the meaning and purpose behind your actions will allow you to grind through them and stay consistent when life sucks and you just wanna say, “F*ck It!”

I suggest you go through “The Five Whys” with your one, small, specific action goal. This strategy is adopted from Simon Sinek’s book, Start with Why.

​Create a detailed plan to keep you focused, but plan to be flexible as well. Life is crazy, messy, and dirty, probably more often than not. So, plan out exactly how you are going execute that one, small, specific action each day. But, also plan for things to go wrong! Expect road bumps, twists, and turns. Embrace life’s imperfections. This is why I recommend, at first, that you make your action so easy that you are confident that you can complete it even on your worst days.

To help you create your execution plan, answer “The Five W’s”:

1) WHAT do you want? WHAT’s the first, small, specific action you need to achieve that? (You should know this already!) Write it down now.

2) WHEN, realistically, do you want to achieve this by? WHEN will you know you’re there? WHEN will you complete your action each day? Write this down now.

3) WHO will this make you? WHO will support you and hold you accountable? (More on accountability in the next step!) Write this down now.

4) WHERE will you complete your action? WHERE does this action fit into the context of your real and crazy life? Write this down now.

5) WHY do you want to achieve this goal? (You should already know this as well.) Re-write this as well!

S T E P | F I V E – Get Accountability

Everybody needs someone to help hold them accountable to their goals and actions, because let’s face it, ALL OF US are really good at B.S.-ing ourselves, especially when life gets busy, but most of us do not like letting others down!

So, go find an accountability buddy! Right now! Call, text, or ask in person, a good friend, your roommate, your partner, a coach, or whomever you trust, to check-in on you consistently. Write down their name. Now! Then write up a short, but detailed contract of what they will be holding you accountable to and how you would like them to check-in. Do this now! I'll wait ... Then sign it. Then have them sign it ASAP. Then take a picture of it and make this picture your lock-screen photo on your smart phone so you are reminded of it every time you look at your phone!

S T E P | S I X – Take Action Now

​Life will always be busy, crazy, and messy. There will never be an absolute perfect time to take action. However, the choice is always yours and you can choose to take action every day! So why wait until tomorrow, January 1st? Why not start today?! Right now. The only perfect time is literally right NOW! So, go perform your one, small, specific action RIGHT FREAKING NOW (or at the very least, as soon as you finish reading this article)!

S T E P | S E V E N – Evaluate and Adjust

Once you’ve spent some time working on your first action, evaluate your progress. Ask yourself, “How’s this working for me?” If you’ve been 80+% consistent with your action and your making progress towards your destination, then it may be time to make your action a bit more challenging or time to add another action to your daily routine, whichever is best for you. If your consistency is less than 80% or your current action isn’t helping you progress towards your final destination and you’ve been working at it for at least two weeks, then it may be time to make an adjustment. Maybe you need to make your action even smaller so that your likelihood of success goes up, or maybe you need to be focusing on a completely different action at this time...

What will you be looking for 2+ weeks from now when you are evaluating your progress? Write this down now. I’ll wait … And what are some possible adjustments you may have to make? Write down those possibilities now as well.

You should now feel pretty solid about your ability to be successful with your New Year’s Resolution!

Here’s a quick recap:

1) Reflect and Celebrate

2) Start with One, Small, Specific Action

3) Know Your Why

4) Plan

5) Get Accountability

6) Take Action Now

7) Evaluate and Adjust

I hope you are able to utilize these seven steps to make this New Year your best year yet!!

The winter holiday season is coming upon us quickly and that means extra busy schedules, followed by lots of travel time on the road or in the air!

It can be hard to eat well this time of year, or really, any time when you are super busy or travelling a lot! For some people this can be an added source of stress, not only physically, but psychologically as well! Here’s the thing though, all you can do, is the best you can do! There’s no sense stressing over things you cannot control.

So, here’s my strategy recommendations to consider when trying to eat healthier while on the go:

ONE | Think, “Little Bit Better.” Instead of stressing about the limited and potentially poor, processed-carb, and fat-laden fast food options you might have while travelling or when super busy, try to pause for a second and think about what the best choice could be out of the options you do actually have right then and there. Since it’s fairly inevitable that fast food options are going to run heavy on the processed carbs and fats, try not to worry about those two things that much as they are basically out of your control. Instead, focus on my next two recommendations to help guide your choice of what might be your “little bit better” option given your current situation.

TWO | Get yo’ veggies in! Travelling and being busy is stressful in and of itself so you want to make sure you have lots of vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and fiber to keep your body systems running smoothly – and veggies are your prime source for these! I know it can sometimes be hard to get them in while travelling, so aim for any kind, prepared anyway, and as many/much as possible!​

​THREE | Always include protein, preferably lean options if possible! Protein is imperative to keeping us functional, healthy, and resilient beings and is thus extra important to get it in so that we stay healthy during our travels! Nothing is worse than being sick while being on the road! Ideally you want to consume, minimally-processed, lean options, but those can be hard to come by at most fast food joints, so do your best to choose the least processed, and leanest option out of the choices you do have.​

At the very least, try to include the three recommendations above when ordering a fast food meal! Other things to consider, if possible, are (1) minimizing processed carbohydrates and fats, (2) choosing meals that are under 500 calories, (3) eating slowly, preferably not in your car, and not stuffing yourself, and (4) trying to get up and move as often as possible.

Now that we’ve got some general guidelines laid out, here are my top three (in rank order) common (at least in the U.S.) fast food restaurants to hit up while travelling, or when you're busy and need to grab a meal out. And, I’d like to note that these are all going to be NON-SALAD OPTIONS! Salads are great! If you want one, by all means, definitely order one!! But most people know that salads are pretty good for them, and I know that I don’t always want a salad, so I wanted to give you some other practical and delicious recommendations!​

​#1 | CHIPOTLE MEXICAN GRILLI am a HUGE fan of Chipotle because not only are they quick and fairly inexpensive given the quantity of food you get, but they are also trying to change the name of the fast food game by using fresh, high-quality, and ethically-sourced meats and produce in their meals as well. Plus, their food is DELICIOUS!It’s really hard to go wrong at Chipotle. Any choice you make really isn’t going to be a terrible one, especially compared to the other fast food restaurants that are probably located nearby. My biggest recommendation at Chipotle is to SKIP THE TORTILLA!! Their burrito-sized tortillas have 320 calories and 50g of carbs in them alone, and if you order tacos, which comes with three small tortillas, that’ll be 250 calories and 40g of carbs. You’re going to get plenty of carbohydrates and calories while eating out on the go, so skip the tortilla and fill up on all the good stuff by ordering a bowl instead!Chipotle always starts with their rice and beans. Choose whichever of each kind you’d like! They’re both smart carbohydrate choices in that they are high in fiber, minimally processed, and even have a decent protein content. Calorie count and carbohydrate wise, they are almost exactly the same. The only main difference is that the white rice has quite a bit more sodium, 350mg, compared to 190mg in the brown rice. So, if that’s something you’re worried about, then maybe choose the brown rice. Otherwise, like I said, opt for whichever rice and beans you’d like!Next up they have you choose your protein. Again, you can’t really go wrong here! They are pretty great sources, but your leanest ones, meaning highest total protein content for least calories, are going to be the chicken and barbacoa.

​​After that, load up on as many/much veggies and salsa as you want. I pretty much go for it all with the fajita veggies, corn, red salsa, and lots of extra lettuce!

Then top it off with ONE source of fat – sour cream, cheese, or guac! If you’re on a budget, choose between the sour cream or cheese, as they are not an extra charge. They are also the same calorie content so just choose, whichever you prefer. If you can splurge a bit though, go with the guac! First it’s fresh and less processed, and second, it’s f**king delicious! :D

So, here’s what my Chipotle Burrito Bowl looks like:

​​Here’s another awesome thing, Chipotle gives you so much food, that a burrito bowl can actually serve as two meals for many people! My whole burrito bowl only cost me $9.15, that’s with tax and the extra $1.95 for guac! Divide that by two, and that’s only $4.58 for a delicious, filling, high-quality, fast food meal, if you save half the bowl for later!​

Here’s the #1 reason why I like MOD … Remember how I said veggies can be hard to come by at fast food joints earlier? Well MOD has A LOT of them, and they don’t charge you extra for them!! They just charge for the size of the pizza, after that, you can put whatever you want on there for no extra charge!! So, pile on the veggies!!!!!

Yes, there are quite a few calories and carbs in the crust – 490 and 88g, respectively, in the whole MOD size, but as I mentioned earlier, I wanted to give you choices that people actually pick on the go, and MOD’s crusts are very thin, so those values are actually fairly low compared to many fast food pizza crusts!

As for choosing your sauce, red, white, and garlic are going to be your best bet at only, 10, 15, and 20 calories per serving, respectively.

Then, make sure to layer on some type of leafy greens. Trust me you won’t even notice them with all the flavors you’ll be adding on, so just sneak some in there!

It is pizza, so obviously go with the mozzarella cheese, this only adds 90 calories to the whole pizza anyways, so no biggie there. They typically go very light on the cheese to begin with, but if you’re worried about the cheese for one reason or another, you can always ask them to half-it.

To be honest their meat choices aren’t fantastic, as most of them are highly-processed, different types of sausage. But keeping in mind my “little bit better” recommendation, their chicken or Canadian bacon are going to be your best bet, as far as low-calorie, and decently high-protein content goes.

Then comes the fun part, THE VEGGIES! Go wild with them! They have a ton! Add any and all!

At the end, try to skip the other extra cheese offerings and drizzled sauces if possible.

Here’s a look at my MOD Pizza order:

The whole pizza, including tax, cost me $8.52. And half of it is more than plenty for one meal, so I saved the other half for later. That means I was able to get another fairly decent fast food meal, packed with veggies, for only $4.26!

To be honest, Subway is not one of my favorite places to eat. In fact, I only eat it if it’s my “little bit better” option while travelling. It’s good, but it’s not great. However, I picked it because Subways are everywhere, and for the most part they’re better than hitting up that place with the golden arches or that bell place with the wannabe taco “meat” …

At Subway, you again could go with a salad, but it’s a sub shop, so I’m going to guide you on best practices for building a sandwich here! PRO TIP: Always order a footlong so that you already have your next meal on hand!

It’s a sandwich, so you’ll be starting with the bread. Calorie-wise and carb-wise most of the breads are fairly similar … all within 50 calories and a few grams of carbs with each other. Going with a whole-grain bread though will provide you with more fiber and protein, so some of the better options are 9-Grain Wheat, Multigrain Flatbread, and Hearty Italian. PRO TIP: To reduce some of the carbs from your meal, have them pull out some of the fluffy inside of the bread before they start making your sandwich. This will mean less processed carbs, and more room to pile in the veggies later!

You’ll be asked to choose your meat next. Again, their meats are quite processed here, but their turkey breast is going to be your best bet by far, as far as being low-calorie (100 for a footlong) and semi-high-protein (18g). The next best options would be Ham (120 cal, 18g pro), Chicken Strips (160 cal, 32g pro), Roast Beef (180 cal, 32g pro), and Roasted Chicken Patty (180 cal, 30g pro).

From there, you’ll be asked to choose your cheese. Really, go with whatever you’d like. And at Subway, I’d go with their cheese over their guac because their guac is not made fresh and most of the time, when I’ve gone, it looks fairly slimy and brown. But really, go with whichever fat choice you’d prefer here. The cheeses are going to add 80-120 calories to your footlong sub, while the guac will add about 140 calories to it.

Then, it’s time to pile on the veggies! Again, go at it here!!

Be careful with the spreads at the end though. All of the mustards, buffalo sauce, and vinegar are okay as they are very low calorie. Even the light mayo isn’t terrible. But the rest are packed with calories and fat for the most part, so try to skip those.

Here’s a look at my Subway Sandwich:

The footlong cost me $6.50 with tax and again, I only ate half. So, I was able to get a decent fast food meal for $3.25!

So remember, when trying to choose a meal on the go, choose your "little bit better" option, pile on the veggies, get your protein in (preferably at least 20g a meal), try to choose meals that are under 500 calories, minimize processed carbs and fats where possible, eat slowly, don't eat in your car, don't stuff yourself, and move as often as possible!​Hopefully you are able to easily put these recommendations into action as you embark on your holiday travels this year, and when things get busy in the future!

If you found these tips helpful and would like more, sign-up here for our monthly newsletter!

And if you feel like you know what you should do to live a healthy and fit lifestyle, but you’re just not doing those things, and think you might need some extra accountability and expert guidance, consider joining our Lifestyle Transformation Program! We only take on 50 people a year for this program, so if you are interested, click here to learn more and sign-up for our next cohort!

First, let me start off by dispelling one giant MYTH in the fitness world, and that is that BODY FAT IS BAD!

BODY FAT IS NOT BAD!!

Body fat in and of itself is not a bad thing! Not only is BODY FAT not bad, but it IS ESSENTIAL FOR OUR HEALTH AND WELL-BEING! It is within us for a reason and it plays many vital roles within our bodies! Fat is used in metabolic processes, it’s used for cell signaling, it’s needed to produce hormones, it’s used in vitamin absorption, it keeps us warm, it helps cushion vital organs, and much more!

Since society has demonized fat and perpetuated this myth that body fat is bad, many of us have very skewed views of what “healthy” body fat looks like. In fact, in regards to health, we really shouldn’t even be worried as much about looks, as we should about how we feel and how we are performing in our daily lives. (Note: Once health is taken care of, aesthetics would be a whole other topic, which we will leave for a discussion at a later time.)

Both men and women need a minimal amount of body fat just to survive, but take note that surviving is NOT thriving. This minimal amount of body fat needed for maintenance of basic survival is termed essential body fat. For men, essential body fat is 2-5% and for women essential body fat is 10-13% (ACE). Women need a bit more for childbearing purposes. Now, that is just essential fat …

In order to actually THRIVE in your daily life, a healthy body fat percentage is likely a bit higher that you might think! A HEALTHY amount of BODY FAT for MOST MEN is between 14-24%, while the healthy range for MOST WOMEN is between 21-31% (ACE). Now, I say “most,” because everybody is different, and as an individual, it is possible that you can lie outside of those statistical averages and still be perfectly healthy. This again, is where I’d like to reiterate that body fat in and of itself is not a bad thing! What this means, is that even if you lie outside of the statistical healthy range, as long as you do not have a family history of diseases, whose likelihood increase with increased body fat, and you are currently healthy by all other typical indicators (i.e. blood glucose, blood pressure, cholesterol, CRP, joint functionality, mobility, etc.), then there’s no real reason to worry about being a specific body fat percentage.

Now, you should be a bit concerned if you are outside of the statistical healthy range of body fat, and do have other health issues that are exacerbated by having high amounts of body fat.

TIP #3+++Only EAT WHEN PHYSICALLY HUNGRY;STOP EATING WHEN JUST SATISFIED!

​•Physical Hunger Cue Examples: Growling stomach, empty stomach feeling, headache, lack of focus, low energy, shakiness, etc. <-- EAT BECAUSE OF THESE!•Emotional/Environmental Hunger Cue Examples: Stress eating, boredom eating, food smells good, walked by fried chicken joint, saw the ice cream in the freezer, it’s 5pm and you just got home from work and walked through the kitchen, etc. <-- DON’T EAT BECAUSE OF THESE!•Physical Hunger/Fullness Scale: 1 – absolutely, painfully starving; 2 – very hungry; 3 – moderately hungry 4 – a little hungry; 5 – neither hungry nor full; 6 – just barely satisfied; 7 – satisfied; 8 – moderately full; 9 – very full; 10 – absolutely, painfully stuffed•EAT when your physical hunger cues get to a 2 or 3 on the Hunger/Fullness Scale.•STOP EATING when you get to a 6 or 7. I like to describe this “just satisfied point” as the point where you are no longer receiving physical hunger cues and could go exercise, if asked to, within 10-20 minutes of finishing your meal.

​​TIP #4+++Eat LEAN PROTEIN and NON-STARCHY VEGETABLES with every meal!

•Consider every time you eat, a “meal,” so yes this does include what many people term “snacks” as well.•Every time you eat, eat 1-2 servings of lean protein and non-starchy veggies. You can eat whatever else you want so long as 1) you are still physically hungry, and 2) you’ve eaten all of your lean protein and non-starchy veggies.•Check our protein infographic for more details on female/male specific serving sizes and examples of lean proteins.•For non-starchy veggies, a serving is the size of your fist. Females should aim for one fist with every meal, and males should aim for two. Examples of non-starchy veggies include things like, leafy greens, peppers, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, asparagus, green beans, etc.

​TIP #5+++MOVE Often!

​•Our bodies were not designed to be sedentary. They were designed to move, and move often! Check out our movement infographic to learn about FIVE SIMPLE WAYS TO MOVE MORE THROUGHOUT YOUR DAY!•Also, aim to dedicate at least 30-minutes a day to brisk walking. This does not have to be all at once. It can be broken up into bouts as small as 5-minutes.•Additionally, aim to get in at least 80 body weight squats and 80 elevated pushups in each day. Again, these do not have to be done all at once, and actually, preferably not all once. You can fit them in however you’d like! I like to recommend doing 10 of each, every 1-2 hours.

​​These five tips should help you kick start your fat loss, but I’m going to leave you with one BIG SECRET to not only achieving your fat loss goals, but also to sustaining them long-term, by leaving you with a BONUS TIP!

BONUS TIP+++Get ACCOUNTABILITY!

That’s right! The SECRET to achieving and sustaining fat loss, long-term, is ACCOUNTABILITY!

Everybody needs someone to help hold them accountable to their goals and actions, because let’s face it, ALL OF US are really good at B.S.-ing ourselves, especially when life gets busy, but most of us do not like letting others down!

So, here’s the biggest thing you can do for yourself right now to ensure that you will achieve and sustain your fat loss goals - GO FIND AN ACCOUNTABILITY BUDDY!

Let your accountability buddy know what goals you are trying to achieve and what actions you will be taking daily to help get you there, so that they can hold you accountable to those actions, support you, and provide you with motivation!

Now, if you feel like you might need some more expert advice and coaching to help you along on your fat loss journey, you might want to think about hiring us to coach you!​

​FIVE TIMES A YEAR we take on new clients in our year-long LIFESTYLE TRANSFORMATION PROGRAM. However, in order to give each client the individual attention that they need, we keep our cohorts small – only 10 people in each! So, you might want to act fast if you’d like to reserve one of those coveted spots! To learn more about our LIFESTYLE TRANSFORMATION PROGRAM and to sign up for our next cohort, CLICK HERE!

Does a year sound like too long of a commitment right now? No problem! We've still got you covered!

We offer rolling enrollment for our 12-week Online Kick Start to Fat Loss Program. In this program, we provide you with workouts, nutrition coaching, daily accountability, and expert advice via our Vitality Central App to help you with your initial fat loss goals!

If out Kick Start to Fat Loss Program sounds like a better fit right now, then CLICK HERE to learn more and sign up!

Lastly, I just wanted to say good luck on your fat loss journey and don’t hesitate to REACH OUT if we can help in anyway, or if you have any questions!

​I thought this would be a pertinent article to write, right now, since it is the summer travel season and I am currently finishing up my own nine-day vacation exploring Arizona!

​But not only will this article be great for when you’re travelling and need/want to get in a simple and effective workout, but it’s also great for when things get really busy and you gotta sneak one in!

So, getting to the heart of what I want to talk about …

Have you ever thought that getting in a workout while travelling is really hard to do?

Maybe because your travel schedule is hectic and you don’t have time?

Maybe because you don’t have all the cool equipment you need to do one or a gym to do it in?

Maybe because you don’t have the space?

Maybe because it’s too hot or cold outside?

Maybe it’s too expensive to do a one-off class at the resort you’re staying at or buy a one-day gym pass?

Or maybe because you just don’t know what to do?

Well I’m super stoked to share with you that you can do a simple and effective full-body workout while travelling (or when really freakin' busy) …

My favorite TRAVEL (or quick) workout tool is the SUPERBAND! Watch this short video to find out why …

​And now, to get the rundown on how you can use just your own body weight and a 1” SUPERBAND to get a simple and effective full-body workout that covers all fundamental movement patterns, and can get your heart pumping (if you want it to), watch this short video …

​Here’s a convenient list of the exercises I went over so that you can easily perform the workout anywhere you go!

Interested in getting more workouts that are tailored to your specific goals​ so that you never find yourself wondering what you should be doing to meet your movement needs? Would you like to get customized coaching to also help improve your nutrition, mindset, and lifestyle, in addition to getting customized workouts?

​So, you should now know that the four pillars of Vitality Central are Movement, Nourishment, Regeneration, and Mentality! Here’s a little more detail as to why I consider these four things the keys to vitality!​

Movement​

​First off, why “movement” and not “exercise?”

Well, exercise is only one subset of movement. Specifically, it is a planned, structured, and repetitive period of time dedicated towards improving or maintaining one or more components of physical fitness, which include cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular endurance, muscular strength, flexibility, and body composition.

However, this subset of movement is relatively new to the human species. Think about it – did your grandpa head to the gym for “Bench Press Mondays” every week? I’m going to take a guess that for the vast majority of us, that answer is, “no!” Rather, they likely headed out to the farm or factory and did some hard physical labor all day long.

Plus, even if exercise had been around for millennia, it really is just a very small component of our daily movements. Most of the time that we do spend moving is likely allocated towards activities of daily living, recreational activities, and fidgeting-type movements. Moreover, due to jam-packed lifestyles, most people probably only dedicate a handful of hours a week towards exercise anyways. But regardless of the subset of movement, the seat-bound nature of today’s society means that many of us do NOT move enough for what our bodies truly need to live optimally!

To quote the British exercise physiologist, Sir Joseph Barcroft, “The condition of exercise is not a mere variant of the condition of rest, it is the essence of the machine!” Our bodies are meant to move! And move often!

Thus, it is my goal to help YOU find simple solutions to integrate more movement into your daily life, whether that be through one-on-one or group coaching sessions, setting you up with a quick and simple at-home workout, or by assessing and re-designing your daily environments to be more conducive to you moving more often.

Ready to get your movement on?! Email now to set up a free consultation!

Nourishment​

​On the same note, why “nourishment” and not “nutrition?”

In westernized culture today, the term nutrition has become too “sciencey” for my liking, and really to the detriment of us all.

What comes to your mind when you hear the term nutrition or when you start to think about changing your “diet” (eewwww … another word I’m not a fan of …) or eating healthier (ooooo … that’s another convoluted word too …)??

Hhmmm … Some of the following may pop into your head …

Carbs … wait … those are bad for me, right?

Fat … $h!t … that’s stuff is killer too …

Protein … that’s the good stuff … waaaiit, is it??

NO alcohol. NO sugar. NO processed or fast foods. NO Dairy. And DEAR GOD, do NOT touch that gluten stuff!!!

I can only have 1500 calories a day! Oh, and I have to eat it between the hours of 10am and 6pm.

I MUST get in my 20g of protein within 30 minutes of my workout … or I just wasted my time!

I’m sure many other thoughts came to mind as well, and I can keep going on the other things that I’ve heard before.

But here’s the gist of it … there’s this odd phenomenon here in the U.S. that we are the most health-obsessed country there is, and yet we are one of the unhealthiest populations there is … at least when it comes to preventable, lifestyle-related diseases.

We’ve turned eating into a science! We’ve made it super complicated. Super hard. And super expensive! We’ve detached from cultural traditions and become out of tune with what our own bodies are telling us. Eating should be a nourishing, enjoyable, and mindful daily event (or rather multiple daily events). Eating well does not need to be complicated, challenging, or wallet-breaking.

Ready to become better at nourishing your body? Email now to set up a free consultation!

Regeneration​

​Again, why “regeneration” and not “rest” or “recovery?”

Well, rest and recovery often invoke images of sleeping-in extra-long on the weekends, or getting the occasional massage … And, while these can definitely be a part of regeneration, there is so much more to it than just that. Regeneration is any strategy that can help restore you physically and mentally. It is anything that helps you constructively refill your tank.

Rest and recovery are the two key components of regeneration.

The most basic form of rest, both mentally and physically, is sleep, but rest could also be in the form of taking a day off from work or working out. Establishing and optimizing a sleep ritual is THE most important regeneration strategy there is. This is the time where adaptation takes place! This where we really become better versions of ourselves.

Recovery is a more targeted and active approach to regeneration. It can include everything from massage, foam rolling, meditation, diaphragmatic breathing, stretching, walking, getting out in nature, warm Epsom salt baths, sensory deprivation, hot and/or cold therapies, non-intense leisure activities, and much more.

Regeneration strategies are one of the most over-looked aspects of living a healthy lifestyle in our fast-paced world. We have to make an effort to chase after them and make them a priority!

It is my goal to help you figure out the most effective and efficient regeneration strategies to implement in your life. To get started on learning which ones are best for you, email now to set up a free consultation!

Mentality​

​And now to our last component, and probably the most important one … Mentality!

Mentality is everything!! I have a poster on my wall that I bought in college that says, “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve!” And it is so true!

Our minds are very powerful! And, what’s super awesome, is that we can train them just like we train our bodies!

We use the same part of our brains to imagine things, as we do to experience things. Thus, what we think, observe, and imagine WILL come true! So, if you think you can, you will! But, if you think you can’t, you won’t. Too often we are our own worst enemies and get in our own ways! We need to be our own biggest cheerleaders!

YOU create your beliefs, your thoughts, and your perceptions of the world. And YOU can change those things! YOU can rewrite your mental script by learning how to re-frame and refocus your thoughts and by building up resilience strategies.

As many of you can attest to, I am very adept at taking y’all through a physical boot camp, but I can also help guide you through a mental boot camp!

Ready to take the next steps towards becoming a mental ninja?! Email now to set up a free consultation!